Sainsbury’s has announced that it is to close its town centre store on March 17.

A spokesman for the company said it will help the 20 staff members who work there to find employment in its other stores, where possible.

The move is part of the regeneration plan for the bus station site which will see a much bigger store built, hopefully by 2014.

However, building work has yet to begin on the site and many members of staff had expected the present store to remain open until the demolition work started.

Sainsbury’s will be at the head of the greatly anticipated £80 million development of the bus station, dubbed The Crescent, which will see the town loaded up with top facilities including a cinema, bowling alley, shops and restaurants.

The new store will cover a massive 9,397 square metres.

Work should start on the scheme this year once all of the buildings have been evacuated by a compulsory purchase order, and the team behind The Crescent, the Tin Hat Regeneration Partnership, anticipate it will all be ready for the town in 2014.

A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “We have informed colleagues that we will be closing the Brunel Road Local in Hinckley on March 17.

“We are working with colleagues to find alternative jobs within Sainsbury’s where possible. We will be consulting with colleagues over the next few weeks.

“We are closing the local to help facilitate an exciting town centre redevelopment, which includes a new Sainsbury’s supermarket, car park, cinema, shops and restaurants and is due to start later this year.”

One of the country’s most popular supermarkets, Sainsbury’s has just announced record-breaking Christmas sales, excluding petrol.

Like-for-like sales rose by 2.1% in the 14 weeks to January 8 compared to a year earlier.